At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead international commercial strategy for innovative healthcare products and drive impactful decisions.
- Company: Join Pfizer, a leader in transforming patient lives through innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible work culture, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to excellence and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in global healthcare while shaping the future of medicine.
- Qualifications: Extensive experience in commercial development and strong leadership skills required.
The predicted salary is between 120000 - 150000 £ per year.
The Senior Director, Commercial Development – International Commercial Office (ICO) is a critical enterprise leadership role responsible for shaping and advancing the commercial development strategy across the International Primary Care portfolio (Vaccines + IM/AV). This role partners closely with Global, Regional, and Country Commercial, R&D, Medical, Access, and Business Development teams to ensure that Primary Care assets are developed, prioritized, and launched with a clear, differentiated, and globally scalable commercial strategy.
Pfizer’s Primary Care portfolio is an innovation‑driven pipeline spanning vaccines for viral and bacterial respiratory and non-respiratory infections, and Internal Medicine treatments for migraine, cardiovascular, pain, antivirals, with multiple launches ahead with the potential to deliver up to $6B in cumulative revenue.
The Senior Director, Commercial Development serves as a commercial thought leader and portfolio steward, guiding investment decisions, business and pipeline development pathways, lifecycle strategies, and launch readiness across multiple therapeutic areas and geographies. The role plays a pivotal part in governance forums and decision points, ensuring that international market needs, access considerations, and long‑term value creation are fully integrated into asset strategy and portfolio prioritization.
Operating in a highly matrixed environment, the Senior Director, Commercial Development provides strategic leadership across the end‑to‑end asset lifecycle—from early development up to pre-launch—while balancing short‑term execution needs with long‑term portfolio value and sustainability. This role requires strong enterprise mindset, analytical rigor, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders without direct authority.
Role Responsibilities
- Lead international commercial development strategy for the Primary Care portfolio, ensuring assets are developed into commercially viable, differentiated products aligned to patient, payer, and healthcare system needs.
- Provide strategic commercial input to early‑ and mid‑stage assets, BD opportunities, informing development strategy, indication sequencing, evidence generation priorities, clinical study design, and geographic footprint decisions.
- Serve as a portfolio steward, supporting cross‑asset prioritization and trade‑off discussions to maximize long‑term portfolio value.
- Lead and/or co‑own robust commercial and strategic evaluations to support governance and senior leadership decision‑making at key development and investment milestones.
- Frame complex options, scenarios, risks, and sensitivities to enable clear, data‑driven investment and portfolio decisions.
- Ensure alignment across International Commercial, Global functions, and Regions/Markets ahead of executive governance, endorsement, and funding decisions.
- Own and leverage global‑to‑local commercial forecasting and scenario models to assess revenue potential, access dynamics, and risk across international markets.
- Integrate primary and secondary market research, competitive intelligence, and country insights into commercial assessments and forecasts.
- Evaluate portfolio‑level implications of development, access, and lifecycle choices across Primary Care assets.
- Partner with Access, Pricing, Health Economics, and Medical colleagues to shape international value and access strategies across Primary Care.
- Ensure evidence generation and value narratives are aligned with global and local payer and HTA requirements.
- Support strategic trade‑off discussions related to pricing corridors, access sequencing, and evidence investment.
- Contribute commercial leadership to Business Development evaluations, including external opportunities, lifecycle extensions, and strategic partnerships within Primary Care.
- Assess strategic fit, commercial attractiveness, and portfolio synergies of potential opportunities.
- Maintain an up‑to‑date view of the competitive and external environment across Primary Care, including emerging data, competitive threats, and market shifts.
- Translate competitive insights into strategic implications and recommendations for asset and portfolio strategy.
- Operate as a visible commercial leader within the International Commercial Office, setting standards for strategic rigor, collaboration, and decision quality.
- Influence and align cross‑functional and cross‑regional stakeholders in a matrixed environment without direct authority.
- Mentor and support development of commercial talent and capability across the organization.
- Support broader International Commercial and Primary Care strategic initiatives as required.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience
- Bachelor's degree with extensive pharmaceutical industry experience in one or more of the following disciplines: Commercial Development, Marketing, Strategy, New product launch, New business assessment or Analytics. MBA is preferred.
- Significant commercial leadership experience, with a proven track record in business development, strategic partnerships, and portfolio management.
- Strong analytical rigor, strategic & Enterprise mindset, and commercial acumen. Demonstrated expertise in assessing market trends, competitive landscapes, and identifying growth opportunities.
- Senior Level executive presence and emotional intelligence, with a track record of influencing beyond direct areas of accountability. Exceptional stakeholder management skills, able to influence and align cross-functional and cross-regional teams in a matrixed environment.
- Proficient in leveraging artificial intelligence tools and technologies to drive commercial insights, optimise decision-making, and support innovation.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to translate complex insights into clear strategic recommendations.
- Highly motivated, proactive, and adaptable. Demonstrates integrity, resilience, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
This role is posted in multiple locations. If you are applying for the role in a secondary job posting location where pay transparency regulations apply, your Talent Advisor will share the local pay information with you during the first interview.
At Pfizer we are a patient centric company, guided by our four values: courage, joy, equity and excellence. Our breakthrough culture lends itself to our dedication to transforming millions of lives.
We aim to create a trusting, flexible workplace culture which encourages employees to achieve work life harmony, attracts talent and enables everyone to be their best working self.
We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce is crucial to building a successful business. As an employer, Pfizer is committed to celebrating this, in all its forms – allowing for us to be as diverse as the patients and communities we serve.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and we encourage you to put your best self forward with the knowledge and trust that we will make any reasonable adjustments necessary to support your application and future career.
Senior Director, Commercial Development – International Commercial Office employer: Pfizer
Pfizer is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic and inclusive work culture that prioritises innovation and collaboration. As a leader in the healthcare industry, employees benefit from extensive growth opportunities, competitive compensation, and a comprehensive benefits package, including health coverage and retirement plans. The hybrid work model allows for flexibility while working on impactful projects that shape the future of clinician engagement globally.
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We think this is how you could land Senior Director, Commercial Development – International Commercial Office
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We think you need these skills to ace Senior Director, Commercial Development – International Commercial Office
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Relevant Experience:When applying for a role in the pharmaceutical industry, it's crucial to highlight any relevant experience you have. Whether that's internships, lab work, or even related coursework, make sure to weave this into your CV and cover letter. We want to see how your background aligns with the role you're applying for at Pfizer!
Emphasise Your Understanding of Regulations:The pharmaceutical industry is heavily regulated, so it's important to indicate your familiarity with industry standards and regulations. In your cover letter, mention any training or certifications you've received that are relevant, or discuss projects where you’ve navigated compliance. This will show Pfizer that you're not just a fit for the job but also a safety-conscious candidate!
Tailor Your CV to Be Result-Driven:Craft your CV to highlight quantifiable achievements, especially if you have previous roles in pharmaceuticals or related fields. Use metrics to demonstrate your impact, such as improved processing times or successful project completions while working on trials. This analytical approach will resonate well with hiring managers at Pfizer!
Convey Your Passion for the Industry:In your cover letter, express why you are passionate about working in the pharmaceutical sector. Whether it’s your desire to contribute to groundbreaking drug research or improve patient outcomes, let it shine through! At Pfizer, we value candidates who are truly enthusiastic about their work—you might just stand out from the crowd.
How to prepare for a job interview at Pfizer
✨Understand the Science
Make sure you brush up on key pharmaceutical concepts and recent developments in the industry. You might get asked some technical questions during the interview at Pfizer that show your grasp of drug development processes or regulatory requirements, so be ready to discuss them clearly.
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If you have any hands-on experience or internships in a laboratory setting, be sure to highlight these in your responses. Think about the projects you worked on, the methodologies you used, and the impact you made. It's all about telling a story that connects your background to the role you're applying for.
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In a full-time pharmaceutical role, understanding the regulatory landscape is crucial. Prepare for situational questions that may test your problem-solving skills concerning compliance and safety standards. You could be asked how you'd handle a hypothetical issue regarding a drug’s market release, so think through your approach.